Method of transporting sand



(No Model.)

A. MoDOUGALL. METHOD OF TRANSPORTING SAND, 8:0.

No. 397,741. Patented Feb. 12, 1889 N. s-zrzns Pnnwuuho mbhon Wruhingiun. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER MCDOUGALL, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

METHOD OF TRANSPORTING SAND, 8.4.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,741, dated February 12, 1889.

Original application filed April 28, 1888, Serial No. 272,135. Divided and this application filed October 5, 1888. Serial No. 287,278. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- l have between them a compartment or space, Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MUDOU- l l), which shall be nearly or quite central in GALL, a citizen of the United States, residing the hull. The floors c c of the space are inat Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State i clined toward the center of the scow, preferof Minnesota, have invented certain new and ably stopping a little distance apart, and havuseful Improvements in the Method of Transing a flat recess, 0, at the bottom, which may porting Sand, &c.; and I do hereby declare be the surface of the bottom of the scow. In

the following to be a full, clear, and exact dethis recess 0, and preferably near the end of scription of the invention, which will enable it, is placed a pipe, B, the interior of which others skilled in the art to which it appertains communicates with the water below the scow, to make and use the same. and rises to a height, preferably, about half In this application, which is a division of as high as one of the central bulk-heads. application, Serial No. 272,185, filed April 28, This pipe constitutes or serves to support a 1888, I desire to describe and cover the valve, which can be opened or closed from method which can be advantageously einthe top of the sand-box. ployed in the apparatus described in said The sand-box (I secured to the top of the application, Serial No. 272,185. deck D of the scow in any strong and suit- The method which I have used experiment- 1 able manner, and is shorter than such (leek, ally with entire success, and which I believe i, so as to leave sufficient clear space at each to be novel, consists, in a general way, in raisl end for managing the scow, and a small ing the sand from the bottom of a river or space, (1 (l, on either side for the same purharbor by a pump and discharging the same i pose. At either end space, (Y, also,arehatches into a box upon the scow or barge, then in l 6, opening into the hull at points other than moving the scow or barge as nearly as possithe central space, I), for the purpose of enble to the desired place, then in dropping the trance or for ventilation. This sand-box G is sand into the hold of the scow, then in supdivided by a bulkhead, e, extending from plying to the sand a sufficient proportion of end to end of the box, and preferably inwater, and then pumping the sand and water clined so as to be a little lower in the center to the desired place of deposit. than the sides of the box, and which is made The apparatus which I prefer to employ for watertight. Near each side of such bulkthe purpose of loading,transporting, and run head are a series of holes, f, passin through loading, in conformity with my method, as i the deck and communicating with the space. above described, consists of a scow or barge i I). These holes are conveniently closed by constructed as will be hereinafter pointed wooden plugs, which may be attached to the out. sides of such bulk-head by cords. On one For the better understanding of this appaside of the same bulk-head, and near the cenratus, reference should be had to the draw ter of the same, a water-tight box, E, is ings, in which placed, which extends about as high as the Figure 1 is a plan view of the scow; Fig. 2, i bulk-head and opens into the space I) in the a similar view with the deck removed; Fig. l hull, and this box is preferably not larger in 3, a central vertical section of the entire scow, internal diameter than two feet in width by and Fig. i a side elevation of the same. four in length. A rod, g, passes through this Similar letters denote corresponi'ling parts box for opening and closing the val ve of the in each figure. pipe B.

The hull A of the scow is made in any Atrough,F,ispreferablyplaceduponthetop usual or well-known manner, it being only of the bulk-headc,incliningtoward the center essential that there should be two or more and liaving communicating cross-troughs F, longitudinal, preferably water-tight, bulkeach withsuitable gates oropcnings;butthese heads, a u, extending from end to end, and so troughs can be dispensed with without serious arri-inged that two of such bulk-heads shall inconvenience.

Numerous holes 71 pierce the sides of the sand-box, and are closed by wooden plugs 71, secured as above described A piece of the inlet- )ipe oi a sand-pump provided with a bent arm, It, is shown in position in the box E.

It is evidentthat the central bulk-head, 6, may be dispensed with; but it is believed that such a change would not be advantageous,

to and that many changes might be made in the apparatus above described by me as preferable wiihou t departing from the spirit of my invention.

The manner of o wration is aslollows: The

holes f in the deck and the valve (i being closed, the scow is moved to the part of the river or harbor from the bottom of which the sand is iobe removed. A saml-pump of any suitable construction, one of the centrifugal 2o ones being preferred, carried on board of a suitable vessel by preference, being placed in proper position near the scow, sand is drawn up from the bottom and pumped in to the san dbox B either by placing the end of the deliv- 2 5 cry-pipe ot' the pump in relation to some convenient part of the troughs F F, or by placing such delivery-pipe so as to di nearly equally on each side of the central bulkhead, The sand and water th as pumped into the sand box, usually in proportions about thrcelourths of water to one-fourth of sand, are relieved and drained of water by the removal of a sufficicntnumber of plugs to the holes 71. This work of filling and drainingis 5 carried on until the sandbox is sufficiently full, and the scow is then moved as nearly as is possible and coi'ivenient to the place of deposit. The holes 71 are then closed and the holes f in the deck are opened, and the bent to end of the sand-pump pipe is passed down through the box E to the recess 0. VVateris then discharged on the sand in the sand-box, preferably by force-pumps or pumps mounted on the scow or dock, until it is sufficiently 5 fluid to run down through the holesfinto the compartment or space E, and by means of the inclines in the same is diverted toward the seharge pretty center of the compartment and near the Valve pipe E. The sand thus deposited is not suflieiently fluid to be raised by the sand-pump, and therefore the valve G is opened and sufticient water is mingled with the sand in the vicinity of the pipeoit' the sand-pump, and the pump is put in operation, raising the sand and water out of the compartment or spaceB and discharging them through the dischargepipe of the pump or through additional pipes to the place desired. After the sand begins tr flow frcel y down the compartment B the Sam pump can begin to work, and both operations of filling and discharging said com iartn'ient go on at once.

I am aware that a method has been de- 1 scribed of dumping dry sand, &c., into bins containing water and then pumping the sand l and water against a screen so placed as to l allow the water to pass over the vessel and l the sand to slide do l same, from which it was subsequently removed lby mixing it with l against another screen upon the land. claim the invention of this could not be used to. advantage in the raising of sand from the bottom of rivers and harg it to a distance, and then the point desired; but I \Vhat I do claim as my invention is I The method, substantially as described, for raising, transporting, and delivering sand, l which consists in pumping the same from the l bottom of a river or harbor upon the deck of l a l l J bors, t-ransportin discharging it at scow, tran sporting the same in such position to the place of discharge, dropping the same into the hold of the scow or barge, diluting with water, and pumping the sand and water f out of the hold through a discharge.

I11 testimony whereof I my signaturein. presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER MoDOUGALL. \l'it-nesses:

E. R. BRACE, FRANK B. LAZIEH.

wn into the hold of the water and pumping it I dlS?" method, which pipe to theplace of 

